Resources in the Community to
Promote Public Safety
One way for citizens
to begin to promote public safety is to find out what their
community is doing to effectively manage sex offenders.
In many communities, the information that is made available
may be limited to sex offender registration and community
notification requirements, such as required by the state's
"Megan's Law." Further inquiry might be necessary to
assess other, less visible, management practices.
A first step in
the process of assessing and accessing resources in one's
community is to determine what to ask and to whom to address
these questions. A number of local resources are generally
available to aid citizens in answering their questions, as
well as to support a range of education and prevention activities.
- Sexual Assault
Crisis Services: Also called rape crisis services/programs,
these services include direct crisis intervention and support
for victims of sexual violence and their families, help
navigating the legal and health care systems, information/referral,
group support, individual counseling, community risk-reduction/prevention
education, and more. These services are usually accessed
through the yellow pages, the department of social services,
women's organizations or local information lines. Sexual
assault programs
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- Hotlines: Some states or municipalities have toll-free sexual assault
or crime victim information phone line that can be accessed
easily and confidentially. These are generally available
24 hours/day, 7 days per week and their operators provide
information on a variety of services, resources, and providers.
When hotlines are not able to directly assist callers, they
will generally refer callers to another agency for assistance.
Two national hotlines are available to connect citizens
with local resources: The Rape and Incest National
Network (RAINN): 1-800-656-HOPE (4673) and the National
Domestic Violence Hotline: 1-800-799-SAFE (7233). Additional
contact numbers
- Child Protective
Services: These services are provided either by
state agencies or private non-profits. Many states
have both state protective services charged with investigating
child abuse allegations and private non-profits charged
with providing support services to families where child
abuse is involved. These agencies may be able to provide
community members with information about their policies
and practices around child sexual abuse allegations and
investigations. NJ Division
of Youth and Family Services
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- Law Enforcement: Local police departments can be accessed quickly in an emergency
by dialing 911 and can provide guidance regarding the registration
of sex offenders and community notification guidelines. County prosecutors
- Victim Assistance
Offices: These offices are typically agencies
based in local criminal justice system agencies, in police
departments, or prosecutor's offices, although in some states,
offices for victim assistance are independent of local government.
These agencies are primarily responsible for victim compensation
and notification for victims of crime. They generally
do not provide community education, but have a wealth of
information about serving victims of crime. Additionally,
these offices usually have many educational and information
pamphlets that are available for distribution. Additional
contact numbers
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- Court Appointed
Victim Advocates: Most courts have at least one
individual designated to communicate with victims of crime
who have entered the criminal justice system. This
individual is able to provide communities with information
about the criminal justice system, victim's rights and victim
services.
- Children's
Advocacy Centers: Not all states or communities
have these centers, although they have gained respect and
popularity in recent years. In general, these are
centers where cases of child abuse/sexual abuse are approached
in a holistic manner. Agencies responsible for the
protection of children can coordinate their efforts through
these centers. Additional contact
numbers
- Area Counseling
Centers: These programs exist in most communities,
although they may have different approaches or areas of
specialty. Learn what specialties are available in
each community so as to provide citizens with more specific
resources.
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- Physicians,
School Guidance Counselors, and Local Religious/Spiritual
Leaders: These individuals may be aware of services
and resources available in the community may be able to
provide referrals to local professionals with expertise
in sexual assault.
- Sex Offender
Treatment Associations or Agencies: Some states
have associations or agencies whose specialty is the treatment
of sex offenders (e.g., state chapters of the Association
for the Treatment of Sexual Abusers). These agencies/associations
can provide information to community members wanting education
about who sex offenders are and how they are treated and
supervised the community.
- Probation/Parole
Agencies: These are usually state agencies with
local offices dedicated to the supervision of criminals
who are not incarcerated. In many cases, probation
or parole officers may be available to provide information
about specific cases or to provide communities with information
about their duties in protecting community safety.
Probation and parole agencies, for the most part, are charged
with safeguarding communities through the development and
implementation of community supervision plans for offenders
of all types. Citizens may wish to contact their local
supervision agency to find out if their state has specialized
sex offender probation/parole units.
Information
contained on this page is reproduced from or links to the Center for Sex Offender Management,
with permission. Reproduction herein of this information is
for the information and convenience of the public, and does
not constitute endorsement or adoption by the State of New
Jersey, or its officers, employees or agents.
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